Is It Okay For Christians To Get Tattoos?
A lot people have tattoos these days. Our friends have tattoos. Celebrities have tattoos. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have them. Kobe Brant & David Beckham have them. Do you have one? It seems like everyone has a one. It is a trendy thing to do. It is definitely a form of art and personal expression. Someone told me recently that 40% of people in the US between 20 & 40 years of age, have a tattoo.
But people ask the question, ‘Is it okay for a Christian to get a tattoo?’ A lot of people say ‘yes it’s fine’ and others say ‘no it’s wrong.’ Others say ‘it’s okay as long as it’s not an inappropriate picture – like a naked person, a demonic symbol or the Boston Red Sox logo’ (just kidding about that last one).
As Christians we must ask 2 questions in any area.
1. Does this action honor God or dishonor Him? Is it simply a personal decision?
2. How do the actions I take affect others? Is this offensive?
First of all, ‘What does God say about it’? There are a couple of verses to consider.
One is Leviticus 19.28. It says, Do not cut your body for the dead or put tattoo marks on your self, I am the Lord.
This verse is dealing with Israel, who had just escaped Egyptian captivity. Some people would put a tattoo of a pagan god of Egypt on their body. God was telling them, ‘don’t take on any of the pagan practices of Egypt.’
If we are trying to say that this scripture is telling Christians today not to have tattoos, we should also obey other verses in chapter 19 which tell us: "Do not eat meat that has not been drained of its blood," and verse 27, "Do not trim off the hair on your temples or trim your beards."
We eat meats and get haircuts without fear of participating in pagan worship. In those days, customs were associated with pagan rites and rituals. Today they are not.
So this scripture does not apply to the question that we are asking about tattoos.
Our main focus is to obey the teaching of the Word. When scripture does not specifically address a certain question, it is probably not a black and white issue. From a scriptural perspective, we cannot say categorically that getting a tattoo is wrong. Ultimately, the decision is between you and God. This an area that requires some personal evaluation.
Perhaps the most important verse is one that addresses a larger issue.
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus. Colossians 3:17 NIV
This is what should be guiding our choices in life.
I will write more about tattoos in one of my blogs in the next few days.
Here’s a question for you – If I got a tattoo (and I’m not saying I am) what would you suggest I get? Please leave your comment – can’t wait to hear.
